On preventing deaths

Re “Unique occasion/Cigarette tax will improve health,” writer Michael Keck is concerned about lung cancer caused by cigarette smoking and proposes an increased cigarette tax to save lives and money.

Cigarettes are not the only contributor to lung disease in Arkansas. Arkansas has five coal-fired power plants: Flint Creek, Independence, White Bluff, Plum Point, and John W. Turk Jr. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a typical coal plant each year emits over 10,000 tons each of sulphur dioxide and nitrous oxide, as well as hydrocarbons, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, mercury and other heavy metals, all of which have negative impacts on health and the environment, including lung damage, cardiovascular diseases and asthma. Plus, each coal plant emits on average 3.7 million tons of CO2 per year, contributing to global warming, impacting health from heat, vector-borne diseases, and extreme weather.

It makes economic sense to tax what we want less of, like cigarettes and fossil-fuel pollution. A national revenue-neutral gradually rising fee on CO2 is projected to save 13,000 lives a year, and over 20 years create 2.8 million jobs, add $1.375 trillion to the economy, and reduce emissions 52 percent. After 20 years the dividend to a family of four would come to almost $400 per month in inflationadjusted dollars.

Preventing deaths should be a nonpartisan issue. Congressional bipartisan action on a revenue-neutral carbon fee and dividend policy would save lives in Arkansas and nationally.

SHELLEY BUONAIUTO Fayetteville